The Cure
by Jacksonavery
Summary: When a mistake from the past is brought into the present, Troy must find a way to make it right or else Gabriella will pay the price.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N.**

Much Love to anyone reading and also reviewing. It is very important to know what you think, how you feel the characters should be developed, and anything that is inaccurate. Thank you so much for still being as obsessed with the Musical/Zanessa like I am. Now, for those not agreeing with this depiction of Troy know that this is because, in my experience, Troy in HSM is nonexistent. Real life Troy often starts off as this selfish person who realizes he needs to be humbled in order to have the life, job, or woman he desires. Zanessa Love, Peace out!-JA

**Prologue.**

The building stood in twenty five stories of majestic glory. Patrons walked briskly in and out, continuously through the badge protected entryways. I swiped my temporary pass and walked in, my heart thumping in my ears and sweat gathering on my brow. It was busy inside. The walls of the lobby were stark white giving the impression of a giant hospital room. People in white coats as bright as the walls ran around carrying clipboards and marking checks on pages as they went about their assigned task. Guards stood watch in a glass enclosed room, blocking the three sliding doors labeled "No Entry" behind them. I wondered if the penknife on my key chain was a good idea to carry in a place like this. I stepped up to the clerk sitting beside a burly, scarred face guard who refused to smile or show any other emotion. Aside from the nod towards the pen and sign in sheet placed before her, I was barely acknowledged. I spotted a dimly lit waiting room and walked over to wait. A vending machine blinked to get my attention, but my stomach balked already succumbing to the nauseous wave of nervous. In truth, I loathed this place. I wished I hadn't needed to come here, but she needed me. My own personal feelings weren't important. Within these walls was the answer; the cure.

**Chapter1.**

The day like all nightmarish days began like any other. The sun shined a little too brightly jarring me from what I was sure had been an amazing sequence of dreams even if I couldn't recall the specifics. A smile widened on my face as I looked over at my gorgeous wife. Her long brunette hair splayed over the pillows, her body pushing against my own perfectly. Behind her closed eyelids were two of the warmest, biggest brown orbs I'd ever seen. Gabriella and I were young at just twenty five, but marriage was always the plan from the moment we met. It's the hardest thing in the world to attempt picturing life without Gabriella by my side. The best I can do is picturing the event that caused us to be placed together by fate.

_The lights in the gym were bright and adding heat. The crowd was vicious; red cups were being thrown around the stands, hecklers attempted to disrupt our coast, but their team was going down. The coaches were out of their seats pointing and jumping crazily on the sidelines. We were up by a double with four minutes to go in the game; allowing the other team to run up and down the court uncontested would still leave us ahead and the victors. My teammates and I were piling on the humiliation. Zeke, a tall black kid with an infectious goofiness, stood underneath the goal ready to field a pass from Chad, a mocha colored kid with a fro the size of Connecticut and my best friend/brother, who was playing power forward. Jason, a dude at guard who was only awake during games, played defense worthy of a centurion. As the last member of our team on the floor, I wasn't even supposed to touch the ball, but I was feeling like superman. All night I had been guarded heavily restricting my points as point guard. I was a well known scorer and they were playing smart basketball by limiting my possessions. The buzzer kept ticking away. We should have held the ball and been gracious. We chose to be the jocks we were. Chad trough the ball, before Zeke could dunk, I called for the ball. My hand made contact and I soared over a defender named Ryan. Somehow the ball bounced off the rim and my momentum propelled me into Ryan cracking his jaw and landing right on his knee when he fell backwards. His scream recorded in my brain. I felt so ashamed. The blood rushed so fast in my head I barely registered the pain shooting through my own knee as I tried to stand. The gym faded as I black out. Basketball was over for both of us._

_I awakened in a hospital bed with a metal knee complete with nails and a heavy heart. There was no one to blame but myself for what happened. A week after being in the hospital, I found myself in the arms of one Gabriella Anne Montez. Apparently, while I was only planning my future with basketball, she was solidifying her position as a bonefied genius; having completed her undergrad degree in two years, she was finishing her masters while working as a student science assistant with the medical school students. Her job was to monitor the rehabilitation students and alter their medicine regimen for maximum recovery and recovery time. We struck up conversation as she was observing my rehab training for the day, which consisted of a nurse coming in to rotate my knees for me; I would not be able to stand for at least three months, and full recovery would be closer to an entire year. _

"_HI," she bubbled. Her smile was wide with perfect teeth framed by glossed lips._

"_Yea," I grunted still pulling at the depression card I'd been playing for days._

_Her smile disappeared briefly, and she replaced it answering, "Well, aren't you a downer. It's your fault you are here anyway. We were winning. You could have been gracious."_

_I was dumbfounded. My teammates had been soft on me, even though I could tell they thought what she had the courage to say. My coach had been even softer excusing my arrogance. My parents could hardly count as disciplinarians. This petite girl made me feel stupid for my stupid actions. I found myself wanting her approval. Our conversations grew in length over the course of two weeks, and when I could operate a wheel chair properly I gathered the nerve to ask her out. Dating was purely out of protocol, because by our fourth date I'd made up my mind to marry her. My mother thought she was an angel from on high, my father referred to her as the 'daughter-in-law,' and all of my friends said she made me mushy, and though I didn't agree on the mushy part, there was no doubt I was in love. _

Impatience pushed me to wake Gabriella from her slumber, after all we were newlyweds. I threw a pillow inover her head startling her for just a moment before bursting out into a brilliant grin. Every morning she greeted me with "I Love you," no matter how annoying my method.

"I love you, too," I replied hoping she could hear how much I meant it.

Always the thinker, she ramped into a rundown of our busy schedules. I would be training a new attendant at the health clinic I worked at as a physical therapist for side lined athletes. I enjoyed helping those players who were unsure of their future work through the injury, and sometimes get them back in the game. Gabriella would head to Cyper laboratories were she created miracles in both medicine and technology. I couldn't help chuckling at how excited she was about her latest project even if she couldn't share all the details. If I would've seen what was coming next we'd have never left the bedroom, but hind sight is twenty/twenty and I left her in the shower singing. The biggest mistake I'd ever made.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N and Disclaimer: None of the characters in the Musical series belongs to me nor my imagination. Much love to the supporters of HSM and Zanessa. Keep reading and reviewing. My apologies for such a late chapter, but real life is kicking Ass and my muse for this story abandoned me to protect this country. Prayers to the Marines and all of the troops. I love you guys.

All connected-J/A

The whistle caught a breeze as I walked out of the house, sure I was ready to take on work. The schedule dictated at least a total of ten clients. I was in a good mood and my staff could tell. The good feelings of our morning romp wore off as the sun began to retreat. The clinic was chaos. As a former player, I could understand the anger of uncertainty, but when a patient with a shot knee hurled weights all over the recovery room my patience was gone. Security was called as I soothed myself with a few pain tablets. The clinic could afford to close early. I headed home to my wife. Gabriella always made everything better, and even the congested traffic couldn't spoil my glimmer of happiness as I pulled out of the parking lot.

Gabriella and I were fortunate. Although, the salary I made at the clinic made for a decent living, but her brains put us well over the wealth limit. The house was small, but large enough to include a pool, yard, and deck. The lights were off when I pulled up. I should have questioned it. It was wrong. My mind told me it was as soon as I walked in the house, but my body didn't care. I was surprised and happy and selfish. The entire house was filled with delicious aroma my nose quickly identified as my favorite dish;lasagna The candles glowed lighting a path to the patio. I should have been alarmed that Gabriella was even home, but rationality ceased when the brunette came into sight. The dress was so tight. Red, short, and tight. My favorite dress. The one that seemed to hug her curves like no other item in her wardrobe. She only wore it out when she thought I could control myself. I n ever could. Her chest pushed up right up to the point of almost spilling out. My mouth was dry. I couldn't remember what I'd done to get this dress tonight. Our anniversary was not until a few months. I had not sent her flowers or bought her anything this week. Whatever I'd forgotten I was prepared to apologize and plea for her to forgive me; in that dress. She looked up as I reached the open doors stepping out onto the deck. The pool lights made the setting romantic and reflected my dishevelment. I could feel my face reddening from embarrassment. I loosened my tie and ran my hands through my hair the way she liked it and was pleased when the grin spread across her always beautiful face. My arms found her waist as soon as she was close enough to pull into a tight embrace. I flexed my muscles a bit more than necessary hoping she could feel it. Her body was on fire, another warning I didn't pick up on in time. As I pressed her into my body I had a brief flash of fire. That's what she felt like; walking fire. Her lips touched mine. Warm and soft. The stars brightened.

"How was your day?" she asked. Somehow the words rolled off her tongue seductively. I found it difficult to move my legs as she pulled me towards the table.

"Fine..good...great,I think," I stammered in reply as she put her hands on my thighs sitting me down in a pulled out chair. Instead of rounding the table to her own seat, Gabriella seemed to have forgotten dinner, and spread her legs to sit on top of me. To be honest, I was thinking my stomach could wait, too.

"I've been waiting all day," another seductive statement as she licked her lips. I'm sure it was her her way of making me pay attention. It worked. The twitch in my pants was noticeable now. My mind was a haze. She shifted as close as possible sitting right on my growing problem. I couldn't hide it. She was definitely aware. I couldn't put a finger on the look in her eyes. I didn't pay attention to her rising temperature. I could feel her breath on my ear as she leaned in close to whisper," Did you miss me?" Another shake of my head as the words stuck in my throat. I could feel her grinding down causing my jeans to become even more uncomfortable. I felt like a teenager.

Her lips found mine again. This time aggressive and unstopping. Gabriella had a way of making me an animal and when she bit and sucked in my lower lip I lost the little control I had left. My hands gripped the underside of her thighs, picking her up, and placing her on the rail. Stealing a look at her face, hoping I'd surprised her with that move, I saw a smirk replacing the grin. One thing left over from my basketball days was my competitive drive. She was issuing a challenge. I was going to win.

_ It was dark. Fog covered the ground as I made my way through the trees. I was clad only in a pair of black shorts and tennis shoes. The night wind shook my sweat covered body. It seemed to have no effect on my mind though. I had to get to Gabriella. She needed me. I could hear her calling my name, but every step I took seemed to be the wrong direction. My heart pounded in my chest as I heard the helicopter circling to search for me again. I'd broken out. From where I couldn't remember. I did know that Gabriella was in danger. A snap behind me increased the adrenaline in my veins. They were closing in. I could see the river ahead and somehow knew she could be found there. Her voice echoed, again. I ran and jumped._

Wetness jolted me from the nightmare. I was soaking. The sheets itched, its dampness clinging to my body. I looked over at Gabriella. At first, I thought the moon was casting a bluish glow onto her m=naked body, but when I touched my fingers to her purplish lips the cold shocked me. Panicked I shook her. No response. Her body lay frozen. I remembered how hot she'd been just hours before. How ablaze her body had seemed as I made love to her. I lay my head upon her chest. I could barely make out a faint heart beat. I grabbed the phone and dialed emergency. I had to save my girl.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- Another grueling end to the year, but my dreams of success have not been deterred. I have found it very hard to be productive with my Troyella stories, but I refuse to give up. I love Zanessa always and I Love the fanfic community. Review if you don't mind or leave a message for me. I'd love to see who is still around.-JacksonAvery

The call for help was answered astonishingly quick. I had just released the phone when the knock broke the stifling silence in my home. The lights on the ambulance illuminated the driveway. I could see our neighbor, Ms. Darby, peeking from behind her almost see through curtains. She was no doubt spreading gossip already to her country club friends. She was forever informing the members of what little glimpses of Bolton life she could squander from her late night spying expeditions. Out jumped two men armed with bags with tubes sprouting from every direction. "Is she taking any drugs or medicine, Mr. Bolton?" I shook my head unable to bring the words to my tongue as I led them into the bedroom. Gabriella had not moved. "Have you checked everything?" Again, I shook my head. Gabriella wasn't under any influence of any drug that I knew of, and I considered us the kind of couple who knew everything about the other. She had no serious illnesses. In fact, for as long as we'd been together she'd never been the one to catch a common cold in the Winter. She normally souped me full of medicines and willed me back to health. I felt a little resentful that they'd even asked me to check. Gabriella and I had no secrets. I was sure that there was nothing we hadn't discussed, but it couldn't hurt to have a look around, though. I needed answers quickly. As they continued checking for vitals, I raced into the bathroom. My hands flew to bottles in the cabinet, most tagged with the names of my doctors and administering instructions. Tampons. Women lotion. Packages of stuff to make her hair shiny. The bubble bath that made her skin taste like sugar. All things I recognized. There was nothing I considered out of place or even close to being responsible for her catatonic state. I popped a head back in the bedroom to solemn faces. "She's breathing," one of the men spoke," but barely." I could feel the tears burning my eyes. "What did you have for dinner," he asked, "it might be a late allergic reaction." She wasn't allergic to anything. Especially, food. I loved how much she could put away at dinner time, but never appearing to over eat. Another one of her amazing qualities. My face reddened a bit from embarrassment when I replied, " We never got around to dinner tonight." The entire meal was still sitting on the patio waiting to be consumed. "Maybe, she has taken some sort of medicine,but , you didn't find anything...Sir,you need to check everything. Her purse, her work bags, anything that you can find," he said.

I raced downstairs to her office. No matter where she ended up in the house, Gabriella always dropped her briefcase and purse off in her office. Her one necessity when we'd been home searching was a small office for her to read and continue her work from the office at home. The lights assaulted my eyes as I flicked on the switch in the tiny office. Books crammed every spare corner on the bookshelves. A simple wood desk sat in the corner next to the window with a computer screen blinking a screen saver of us on our honeymoon. I could feel the tears running freely down my face now. Ink filled tablets lay saturated with cryptic scribblings in organized piles on the desk. Pens with missing tops sprawled out beside them. A black briefcase was wedged in between the desk and the wall. I hurriedly placed it on the desk. A neat row of numbers stared back at me. I'd specifically bought this kind. I knew she hated the feeling of her things being snooped through in the competitive office she worked in, so, the gifting of a deluxe briefcase for a scientist was the perfect solution. I rolled the numbers into place. She was smart enough to not make it our wedding date, or any other date that anyone besides the two of us would know about. I scrolled and popped open the leather box. Inside stacks of papers displayed more cryptic writings. Although, I could barely make out Gabriella's theories and experiments, this scribbling seemed even more foreign. Moving the papers aside I saw two floppy disk labeled project. Many things Gabriella brought home had been labeled the same way, but as I replaced them a shiny silver glint caught my eye. It looked like a key on one end, but on the other a little square metal pad with a sequence of zeroes and nines. Normally, I would just leave her belongings just as I found them, but my intuition kicked in. I can't explain the reason for the hairs on my arms and neck standing up, but they did and I gripped the token. A crash into the office door caused me to jump. I slid the "key code" into my pocket to look into the eyes of the inquisitive paramedic.

"We've brought her downstairs," he said. " We are ready to go,"he said a little too sternly. Almost like he was annoyed. "Did you find it?"

" I haven't found any kind of drug," I said apprehensively. "I can't even tell you what I've been looking for. She doesn't take any kind of medicine or anything." I stopped short of telling him that an hour before my wife had been a siren. She'd seduced and fucked me until I couldn't breathe. That I was so wrapped up in what she was doing to me, I'd made no effort to listen to the voices in my head telling me my wife's behavior was abnormal.

"Humph..let's go," he replied sounding even more irritated. His nice guy act was over, but I couldn't worry about the attitude of a paramedic. I felt even more desperate to get her to the hospital. We strapped her into the back and I took a seat holding her hand. The ambulance had speed through traffic blurring the cars into lines of color. The paramedics had taken her vitals warily as we made the trip to more help. They tried and failed to reassure me that my wife was alright; the puzzled looks on their faces betraying them. My mind screamed at me. How did this happen? What had I done? What was this sickness invading my love? It made no sense. Her lips were a ghastly shade of blue. Her fingertips were a disturbing purple. The blood was pooling. We needed to get there fast.

Screeching into a back entrance the vehicle came to a stop. The silence stunned me. It was empty. The parking lot was completely bare of any sign of life. There were no stretchers. There were no doctors rushing in and out. There were no lawyers standing at the entrance to catch cases. There were no other ambulances. There was no hospital. Instead, a building protruded out of the darkness with four well suited guards strapped with weapons pointed at the rear as the door opened. I looked back expecting to see my wife on the stretcher. My eyes only saw the barrel of the gun. _Help. Please, I need to help my wife. _These were the thoughts in my head as the blackness surrounded me. I never felt the hit.


End file.
